AG Grid is one of the most powerful data grid libraries available for React, Angular, and Vue. It's feature-rich, well-documented, and trusted by thousands of companies worldwide. However, understanding its pricing can be surprisingly complex, and many teams discover unexpected costs only after they've already committed to the platform.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll break down AG Grid's 2025 pricing structure, reveal the actual costs you'll pay, and help you determine whether it's the right investment for your team—or if there are better free alternatives.
TL;DR: What Will AG Grid Actually Cost You?
- • Community Edition: Free, but missing critical features
- • Single Developer: $999/year minimum
- • 5-Developer Team: $4,995/year ($416/month)
- • 10-Developer Team: $9,990/year ($832/month)
- • Enterprise (unlimited): Custom pricing (typically $20K-$50K+/year)
- 💡 See 7 free alternatives that could save you $25K+
AG Grid Licensing Tiers: What's Available?
Community Edition
MIT-licensed, free for commercial and non-commercial use. Includes the basic features most developers expect from a data grid.
What's Included
- • Sorting & filtering
- • Column resizing & reordering
- • Pagination
- • Cell rendering & editing
- • Basic virtualization
- • CSV export
What's Missing
- • Row grouping
- • Aggregation functions
- • Tree data
- • Excel export
- • Advanced filtering
- • Master/detail views
- • Column pinning (frozen columns)
- • Pivot mode
The Trap: Most teams start with Community, only to discover they need Enterprise features later. By then, migration costs and technical debt make switching difficult.
Enterprise Edition
Commercial license required. Includes all Community features plus advanced enterprise capabilities. This is where the real power (and cost) of AG Grid lives.
Enterprise Features
- • Row grouping & tree data
- • Aggregation functions (sum, avg, etc.)
- • Excel export (with styles)
- • Advanced filtering (set, multi filters)
- • Master/detail (expandable rows)
- • Column pinning (left/right)
- • Pivot mode & charts
- • Range selection
- • Clipboard operations
- • Server-side row model
- • Status bar & tool panels
License Terms
- • Per-developer pricing
- • Annual subscription (no perpetual)
- • Includes updates & support
- • Development + production use
- • Covers all projects
- • Named developer licenses
What "Per Developer" Actually Means
You need a license for every developer who works with AG Grid code—not just those actively developing it. This includes:
- • Frontend developers building/maintaining the grid ✓ (obviously counts)
- • Developers who might touch grid configuration ✓ (counts according to AG Grid)
- • Backend developers? ✗ (typically doesn't count)
- • QA/testers? ✗ (doesn't count)
What You'll Actually Pay: Real Numbers
Let's break down the actual costs for different team sizes. These are 2025 prices based on AG Grid's standard licensing (prices may vary for volume/enterprise deals).
Solo Developer / Freelancer
1 developer license
Small Team / Startup
3-5 frontend developers
Medium Team / Growing Company
10 frontend developers
Large Team / Enterprise
20+ developers or unlimited license
Is AG Grid Enterprise Worth the Cost?
The honest answer: it depends. AG Grid Enterprise is worth it for specific use cases but overkill for many others.
AG Grid IS Worth It When:
- You need Excel-like features (pivot tables, complex aggregations)
- You're building internal enterprise tools (not customer-facing)
- You have a substantial software budget ($10K+/year for tools)
- Bundle size isn't critical (internal apps, desktop-first users)
- You need their specific features that no free alternative offers
Consider Free Alternatives When:
- You're a startup or small team with limited budget
- You need basic to intermediate grid features (sorting, filtering, etc.)
- Bundle size and performance are priorities
- You're building customer-facing applications
- You want to avoid vendor lock-in
Free Alternatives That Could Save You $25K+ Over 5 Years
Before committing to AG Grid Enterprise, consider these completely free alternatives:
Simple Table
Free tier availableA lightweight (32 kB), batteries-included React data grid with a generous free tier and optional PRO plan ($85/mo) for enhanced support. All core features included in FREE.
What You Get Free:
- ✓ Sorting & filtering
- ✓ Column pinning (frozen columns)
- ✓ Row grouping & aggregation
- ✓ Cell editing
- ✓ Built-in virtualization
- ✓ CSV export
- ✓ Custom renderers
- ✓ Excellent TypeScript support
5-Year Cost Comparison:
TanStack Table (React Table v8)
$0 ForeverHeadless table library with powerful features but requires you to build the UI yourself. Great if you need complete control over rendering. Compare TanStack vs Simple Table.
MUI X Data Grid
Free + Paid TiersMaterial-UI's official data grid. Free version for basic features, Pro ($249/dev) and Premium tiers for advanced functionality.
Pro tip: Most teams don't need AG Grid's enterprise features. Start with a free alternative and only upgrade if you hit a specific limitation. You can always migrate later if needed—but you probably won't. Read our complete guide to AG Grid alternatives.
Decision Framework: Should You Pay for AG Grid?
Use this simple framework to decide:
✅ Choose AG Grid Enterprise If:
- • You need specific features like pivot tables or advanced master-detail that free alternatives don't offer
- • You're building internal enterprise tools where bundle size doesn't matter
- • Your company has budget allocated for commercial software licenses
- • You need enterprise support and SLA guarantees
✅ Choose Simple Table If:
- • You need row grouping, aggregation, column pinning, and other "enterprise" features—for free
- • You're building customer-facing apps where performance matters
- • You want quick setup without configuration complexity
- • You want to avoid vendor lock-in and recurring costs
- • Your team is 1-10 developers
✅ Choose TanStack Table If:
- • You need absolute control over UI/UX and are willing to build components from scratch
- • You have complex, highly custom design requirements
- • Your team has experience with headless libraries
- • You might need to support multiple frameworks
Bottom Line: Start Free, Upgrade Only If Necessary
For 90% of React applications, a free alternative like Simple Table provides everything you need. Start there, save thousands, and only consider AG Grid Enterprise if you hit a specific feature wall. Your CFO (and your team) will thank you.